


Flirtation Is A Game For Two

by LadyoftheDawn



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Cooking, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Drunkenness, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Happy Ending, Idiots in Love, M/M, Modern Era, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Roommates, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:02:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24390091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyoftheDawn/pseuds/LadyoftheDawn
Summary: Merlin and Arthur are university roommates.Their friends challenge Arthur to win Merlin's heart.Merlin's headache ensues.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 177





	1. The beginning of Merlin's headache

“Tell me, Ar--hiccup--Arthur, why de ’ell--hiccup--does every- every girls falls for ye?” Drunk-Leon with his eyes shut sputtered out. 

Not-as-drunk Arthur was about to answer but was halted by Leon's almighty index finger almost poked into his eyes. He flinched back and slapped the finger away. Leon continued. “No, not only girls, boys as well! ’ow--hiccup--did ya do that?” 

This time Arthur waited for a second then replied. “Maybe, Lee-on, that's because of my perfect featurez--” 

Merlin snorted loudly from his small bed at one side of the room without looking up. Hand and eyes still skimming through integral signs in the book he held. Arthur squinted at him then probably too drunk to care so he shifted his gaze back and kept on his self-praise.

“--and god-like skill in physical activitiez.”

This time Merlin burst out laughing then muttered an insincere apology under his breath. 

Everyone in the drinking circle on the floor turned to him. Gwaine, who was drunk, though look pretty normal, sacrificed himself to be the first one who spoke their mind.

“Someone got jealous.” 

With that, Merlin’s eyes shot up. He was furious for a second then reeled down with one long exhaled. At last, he brushed off the insult with, “Me? Of Arthur? Pa-lease.”, and a round of dramatic eyes roll with a slow shook of his head.

“Look like we found someone who has an immunity to your charms.” Elyan who not drunk at all (’cause he’ll destroy things) teased then slapped Arthur’s shoulder a little too hard. Merlin and half of the people on the floor winced for him.

“Think I can’t get him?” Arthur rolled his shoulder like he was preparing to throw physical efforts into something. “Come on, he’z an eazy one. If I want to, he would fall right into my lap az I flick my fingerz.” Then created a loud ‘pop!’ by his fingers.

“You wish.” Merlin replied with untrouble--even ridicule--tone. Gwaine and Elyan made a long ‘ooo’ while Leon sucked in a sharp inhale. Arthur ears gone red.

“Challenge accepted! Ztarting now.” He pointed to the ceiling, declared it either to the god or Lancelot who slept soundly in his room above, then crawled from the space between their bed towards Merlin, licking his red upper lip in the process.

“Wait- I didn’t sign up for this.”

Merlin scurried back further onto his bed, back paralleled with the wall behind, book propped up like a shield on his chest.

“Merrr-linnn.” Arthur howled while getting closer and closer on his four. Merlin yelled something rude which simply meant, “Back off!”, but Arthur was still moving, inch by inch. 

“Off, Pendragon, I warned you!” was the last thing Merlin screamed before Arthur jumped on the bed. Arthur rolled his shoulder like he was preparing to throw physical efforts into something. Without much thought passing through Merlin’s panicking brain, when Arthur jumped in again and hover dangerously over him, his right foot sprung out and kicked Arthur off by his chest. 

Tipsy Arthur fell backwards off the bed. Feet threw up and stayed in the air as his bottom was support by the side of the bed. It was such a sight to behold, and Merlin regret not having anything within his reach that could take a picture.

“Merlin, you idiot!” Arthur bawled out.

Merlin lost all sympathy he had in that one span of a sentence. So he replied, “Got what you deserve.”, and jumped back to the same position where his nose was buried in calculus book.

Arthur stomped his feet down on the bed and the sound made him flinched. He pointed at Merlin accusingly, narrowing his eyes. “Tomorrow then. Ztarting tomorrow!” then half-crawled back to his friend who were laughing their ass off on the floor.

Their small party lasted not long after that because Arthur got all fuzzy and Leon was half asleep already. Gwaine tried to pour some more alcohol into his mouth from an empty bottle. Finally, they retired to their room with a zombie’s pace. 

Arthur staggered his way into the bathroom, gave Merlin fifteen minutes of silence with a soothing sound of running water. He came out with only one piece of towel clung loosely on his waist. His head was wet, water trailed down from it to his neck then his six-pack which made girls went wild when he revealed it in a soccer field. Merlin glanced up, watching as Arthur twisted his body left and right, hand propping at both side of his waist. When he caught Merlin staring, he grinned, wide. Merlin didn’t flinch or blush, it was appealing to look at but he’d seen it thousandth times already so he just pouted his lips and shrugged then turned his attention entirely on his book.

Arthur huffed and ruffled his hair manically then pop back in the bathroom. He walked out again with a navy-blue short. A second later, a small towel was shoved into his sight, he looked up and found Arthur stood there, with puppy eyes and droplets dripping from his golden hair, handing him the towel, expecting something Merlin could not fathom. Merlin raised an eyebrow.

“My shoulder hurtz. Elyan...I think he broke my shoulder joint. Can you help me dry my hair?”, was what he got for the explanation.

It was an obvious bullshit, but he wanted to prove his point that doing this cannot affect him. Also, calculus bored him to death, anything else apart from more of it was a heaven anyway. He accepted the towel and saw mirth dancing in Arthur’s eyes as he sat down on the bed with his bare back facing him. He laid the book down on the other side where it would not get wet, shifted closer until he could feel a steam of body heat and could smell clean soap. He started rubbing from soothing to hard and hard to rough then rougher and rougher and rougher.

Arthur squirmed back and locked his wrist while screaming, “Bloody-! Leave some hair on my head, Christ!”, then rubbed his skull like one might with a precious thing.

“Stay still. I’m trying to rub the blood to go up there, maybe it will knock some sense into you.” Merlin said and tried to reach back to the ruffled-up golden hair. 

Arthur let his wrist go and snatched away the towel from his hand with a hiss of, “Give that back!”, and retreated to his bed and continued in silence. Merlin called it a day and put his book away. He snuggled into his warm bed with his back to Arthur.

A loud ‘poof!’ and the light turned off told Merlin that Arthur had finally settle on his bed and this crazy day could finally end but then, in the dark Arthur mumbled, “Good night, sweetheart.” with a teasing tone. Merlin knew it wouldn’t end there.

“Sleep, Arthur. We’ll talk again when you’re sober.” He grumbled without looking back and hoped that would be enough.

But, to Merlin sorrow, there was still a replied. 

“I’m not that drunk. Just feeling a bit dizzy.”, there was a paused and then, “Did I mention I’m not that drunk?”

Merlin exhaled loudly and didn’t reply this time. 

“Merlin. Merlin I know you cannot fall asleep that quick. Merr-linnn.” 

There was a sound of a mattress, and the light was turned back on, the sound of footsteps then a hand on his arm, and then a gentle but constant shook. Merlin flipped a finger at him in the air. Eyes closed. Face buried in his pillow, trying to block the light out. Knee curled up to his chest.

Arthur bit his finger.

“Oi, Let go!” Merlin groaned from the pillow. His voice was muffled but the annoyance was unmistakable.

Arthur stop. But just for two seconds to say, “Not ’til you zay goodnight back!”, then he was back at it again. Even harder this time.

There was almost a literal snapped sound of Merlin’s patient when he turned and shouted, “Okay, okay stop that! GOOD-NIGHT! Happy?”

His sore finger was let go. There were visible teeth marks on it. Merlin sighed and caressed his finger.

“Very.” Arthur laughed then strode back to his space. The light went out again.

“Bastard.”

“Idiot.”

Merlin turned his head, eyes squinted in the dark.

“Not such a great move, insulting the one you’re flirting with.”

Arthur chuckled and said, “You like it, I know.”

“Bugger off.”

He turned back, settling to sleep.

“Love you too, hon.”

Merlin threw a pillow at him. The aim was precise even though he threw it backwards. Arthur laughed and fell to his back on his bed. Merlin groaned into his pillow-less bed then drifted into sleep.


	2. The one where Merlin's headache get worse

Merlin was up early the next morning.

From his bed, he could see Arthur splayed out without any dignity while snoring softly. He got up as quiet as he could, tip-toeing around the room while gathering his things to ensure that Arthur wouldn’t wake up before he left the room. He could only breathe again when he closed the door gently behind him and head to the morning class.

Professor Gaius numbed his mind out completely and he was thankful for that because he could stop obsessing over how he could handle Arthur’s next move and how long would he play the damn game. But when he was back in his room, standing in the middle of it awkwardly, listening to the even sound of Arthur’s breathing, it was all flushed back to him like a tsunami.

“Merlin?” He snapped his head to the direction of the sound. Arthur was awake but still didn’t open his eyes.

“Yeah.” Merlin replied, throwing his things to its place.

“Could you hand me some painkiller?” Arthur asked with a groaned

“Oh, you need it? I think you are ‘not that drunk.’” Although he replied that way, he found himself opening painkillers bottle and fetching a glass of water for him.

“Yes, I said it, I know. Give me that already.”

“I’m not your servant.” Merlin grumbled as he handed him what he needed.

Arthur made an agreement sound in his throat as he swallowed the water and the pill. He then handed the glass back to Merlin who stood waiting then dropped his head back on the pillow.

When Merlin turned to place the glass on a nearby table, Arthur suddenly said, “I need something to hug.”, with one eye shut on the pillow the other half-open, look at him.

He put the glass down and turned back on his heel to ask, “You need what?”

“A pillow. It’s on the floor. I can’t reach it.” Arthur pointed down on the floor with his one eye. Merlin followed his gaze and saw a pillow on the floor, likely to had been thrown out in the middle of the night while Arthur was tossing and turning as he usually does.

Merlin sighed and bent down to grab it while grumbling, “Bullshit, you are full of bullshit, you know that?”

Merlin handed it to Arthur with a frowned. There was a sudden dragged from Arthur’s side and Merlin toppled down on Arthur’s bed, which smelled like Arthur with a tiny mixture of fine alcohol, with a loud ‘oompf!’. The pillow he picked up a moment ago flew back to its place on the floor. His arms were locked beside his body with Arthur’s bear hug. Arthur’s face buried in his neck, hair brushed itchily on his chin.

“Arthur, let go!”

“Hmm, just ten minutes okay?” The sound vibrated on his neck and a long sighed warmed his skin up.

“No, not okay!”

He struggled and struggled. He could slip one hand out two times, but Arthur was quick. He seized the arm back in no time at all. He tried to kick, but Arthur’s legs tangled them up with his till he was helpless and out of breath. 

“Stay still, for god’s sake!” Arthur complained petulantly.

Merlin stayed still as it was the only thing he could do at that time. The room was quiet and. He slowly gained conscious of his skin contact where it aligned with Arthur’s body. A nose on his neck, a constant heartbeat on his chest, strong legs locking his, and an unmistakable hardness on his hip…

He could feel his blood rushed to his cheeks and ears when he realized what that ‘hardness’ was.

“Oh, that make so much more sense.” Merlin said, trying so hard to sound normal.

“What?” Arthur’s voice was normal too, but his heart raced faster.

“You’re just horny, aren't you?” Merlin looked down but could only saw Arthur’s golden hair.

Arthur tensed up. “What? No!” He loosened the hug and tried to push Merlin away.

“Oh, yes, you are.”

Merlin wouldn’t let him move, instead, he got Arthur by surprise with a heel of his hand pressed on the length of his throbbing cock. A sharp inhaled was clear and loud on the silent room.

“How long have you been without someone? Six months? What happen to you, Pendragon? People are not interest in you anymore?”

“No, it’s no-”

And with that, Merlin started to move his hand up and down. Arthur cursed something he couldn’t comprehend and gripped on Merlin’s shirt like his life depended on it.

“Yes, yes, you are.”

His other hand moved, and it aimed for a button on Arthur’s jean. His hand snaked in soon after that. Arthur’s breath hitch.

“So desperate, aren’t you?”

Inaudible nonsense was a response from Arthur.

“You know, two can play this game.” He wiped his thumb on its head then back to the stroke again. “Maybe you’re the one who’ll rush in sit on my lap as I flick my ‘fingerz’.”

Arthur response were, “Fuck you, Merlin!”, and a constant thrust into his looping hand. His hand roamed desperately all over Merlin’s body. One second on his hair and then another on his spine. Even though the whole situation was freaking Merlin’s out like nothing else, he couldn’t make himself stop or back off. Instead, he found himself continued with, “Such a good boy.”, and, “You would be the one who rush to me like a bitch in heat. Mounting my cock ’til it’s hard and ready to shove inside you over and over until it leaks.”

Arthur came, sharp and all over his hand. His breathing was short and shallow, and his body was shaking as he reeled down from it.

It had to be either guilt or fear but whatever it was, it sent Merlin on his feet and into the bathroom without looking back. He threw his shirt and jean on the floor and stepped into the shower. His heart was beating so fast it visible on his skin. His cock felt heavy and strain under his palm as he pumped himself quick and harsh. The sound Arthur made still lingered near his ear, the way he showed his eagerness, the way he moaned, the way he called his name repeatedly, begging for more when he was close. 

More of speed. 

More of skin. 

More of him. 

He was ready for a release for far too long and when it did, it shoot out strong and without warning. He rested his arm on cold tile and his head on it, panting and creating a mist in a tiny box of a shower as the air blew out from his half-open mouth.

When he opened the door again, Arthur was gone.


	3. The one where Merlin starts to think that this headache is permanent

‘Divergent’ was the word Merlin intended to write down on the paper but could only manage to the ‘r’ when a loud whoosh of the air from behind startled him. He turned on his seat to the door and found Arthur stood there, a hot beverage in one hand and a stupid smile plastered on his face.

He had disappeared for hours, ignoring all his calls and massages. Merlin cleared his throat then said, “Arthur, look, about-”

Arthur moved, as if voice activated by his apology. He took a step to get inside, manage by a swung of his hand to close the door, and took three long stride to reach the desk he was sitting at. Merlin looked up at him and he said,

“What are you doing?”

Merlin’s mouth opened and then closed and opened again. His eyes searching for a hint of hatred on Arthur’s face while his mind shuffling all possibility to explain how come Arthur was not mad at him and still talked to him like nothing had happened earlier on the day on the bed four feet away from them. He couldn’t find any logical reason and Arthur was starting to ask again, coming closer this time, so he sputtered, “I- Ah- Calculus.”, as a replied.

“Boringgg.” He drawled.

Merlin frowned.

“Then bugger off! I need to concentrate.”

“Glad to. Oh, wait, I got something for you.”

A cup of hot beverage that had smelled of chocolate was placed on the desk. Arthur walked off to his bed and took off his red coat.

Merlin picked the cup up and took an experimental sip. It was a normal hot chocolate. So, no prank, just sincere thank you? He read the logo then took another sip. Place it down and back to calculus. Said,

“How did you get this? Isn’t it like, five blocks away?”

Arthur shrugged and arched his brow, look amused. “Yeah, and I do it for you. Fell in love yet?”

“Absolutely not.” Merlin turned back to his paper then said. “but I wouldn’t mind if you keep doing it, though.”

With a corner of his eyes, he saw Arthur shrugged then disappeared into the bathroom.

The door of the bathroom was opened about five minutes later. Arthur dug his things out of his bag and started working, highlighting on sentences on a paper. They didn’t talk much after that, but the silence was not uncomfortable, just like it always did between them.

Around midnight, Merlin yawned loudly and looked back to find Arthur already knocked out by the boredom of the paper he read. He got up and threw it on his table but didn’t bother to adjust Arthur’s position on his bed. He turned off the light and settled to sleep. Arthur shifted in the dark. He could hear the sound of a shifting pillow, mattress, and then blanket. 

Then a mumble that startled him. 

“Coming this Saturday?”

“To where?” Merlin asked, eyes still shut tight.

“The water park.” the voice replied then paused. And then, “With our friends.”

“Oh, yeah, that.” Merlin sighed. “I told them I couldn’t. Need to see my mom this weekend.”

“Shame.”

“Yeah.”

Silence filled the room for one whole peaceful minute then Arthur broke it.

“I’ll come with you.”

This time, Merlin opened his eyes and stared at odd gray shapes before him which, in the light, would be Arthur on his bed.

“To my home?” 

“Yeah.”

“No, you’re not invited.”

He heard Arthur shifted. “I can invite myself.”

“No, you can’t.”

“I can.”

“Can’t.”

There was no answer for that, so Merlin gave up the fight with his heavy lids then drifted off to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Merlin was woken up by a sound from Arthur’s bed which his brain could only process three seconds later and it said, “Can.” in a dream-like murmured. Merlin snorted then closed his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the supports! <3


	4. The one where the headache tells Merlin it is chronic

It was either a big earthquake or somebody shaking him annoyingly hard that woke his up. He didn’t want to open his eyes though, so he turned and buried his face in the pillow, nose dug in the coldness of untouched part of the fabric. 

“Leave me alone.” He groaned when the earthquake didn't stop.

Someone spoke above his head and now he could feel the grip on his arm and hip. “Come on, you’ll miss the bus.”

“Mmm.”, was his reply.

That person flipped him on his back then sat on him then bent down and squeezed him with his weight. A nose his on neck drew a circle repeatedly like trying to tickle him. The smell of high-quality soap and shampoo made him know this was his annoying roommate that he gave a hand job to yesterday. The pictured came to him. The blood flushed his cheeks and another part down below. Like Arthur could read his thought, or his body gave away painfully obvious signs, a wet trail from Arthur’s tongue made its way from his Adam's apple to his chin. A low rumble of voice moaning his name near his ear didn’t made the situation any better.

He opened his eyes at last, grabbed at the golden hair then pulled up with all the strength he had left, keeping him away from his sensitive spots. Panting against Arthur’s wet mouth, their eyes met daringly. Then Merlin’s eyes dropped to those sinful lips again.

“Can I come with you?” The mouth spoke.

“No.” He replied, eyes still looming on it, head still spinning.

Then Arthur started moving his hip. Gridding down deliciously and oh so slowly. Merlin choked.

“Can I now?”

“No.”, was still his answer but this time it was much weaker, so much weaker.

His hand loosen on Arthur’s hair, and he only realized that was a mistake when the tongue was back on his neck then to his ears then follow by a nibble behind his ear that cause a low rumbled in his throat.

He intended to say, “Wait.”, and, “Stop humping me.”

but his mouth betrayed him and said, “Yeah.”, and, “Don’t stop that.”

“Yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Good!”

Arthur stood up abruptly. Left him cold all over when the body heat floated away and the air licking wet spots on his neck. 

“Where are you going?”

“Packing.”

Merlin dropped down, covered his face with both of his hand and sighed long and painfully. 

“Bloody cock tease.”

“That I am.” Arthur admitted with a wide grinned. He didn’t even look up from stuffs on his bed he planned to bring to Merlin’s house.

Merlin got up and went for the bathroom and made sure he slammed the door loudly behind.

When he walked out of it ten minutes after that, he saw Arthur sitting on his bed, backpack ready by his feet. His arms crossed while his eyes looking at an empty corner of the room, lost in his thought and completely oblivious to reality.

Merlin cleared his throat.

Arthur almost literary jump at his sound. He turned to Merlin with a smiled and asked, “Ready?”

Merlin exhaled, “Yeah.”

It took two buses and five stops to arrive at his mother’s house. A knocked on the beige door and it swung open like his mom was behind that door the whole morning. 

“Merlin!” Merlin's mom, Hunith, exclaimed and squeezed him with a hug.

He gave her a big kiss on the cheek, and she smiled wider. She looked beyond him to Arthur standing at his back, scratching his head awkwardly. 

“And who’s this?” She asked kindly.

Merlin glanced at him less that half a second then turned back to his mom and told her that, “He’s the annoying roommate I told you about.”

She looked at him again then her eyes widen. She put a flat hand beside her mouth then whispered loudly. “Oh, the one you have special something with?”

Merlin blinked and frowned. His ears felt hotter. “What? No! I never told you that!”

She put her hand on his head and ruffled it. He didn’t know why he helpfully bent down to make it easier for her. “You don’t have to, I know my boy. Mommy always knows, and mommy is okay with it.”, She said while doing it.

When she stops, Merlin said, “I appreciate that mom, but there is still nothing between us!” 

He heard Arthur chuckled and felt that he lent closer.

“Actually, there is. He just doesn’t know yet.”

He whipped his head to him, “There is NOTHING between us. Not-A-Thing! Get off me!” He snapped while fighting with Arthur’s arm which rested on his shoulder unwelcomingly.

“Ha! You two are cute.” His mom commented with a smiled. “Come on in! I was just about to make lunch.”

They stepped into the house and the smell of his mom that filled the house suddenly filled his lung as well. Arthur put his thing down and Merlin suddenly recalled his existence. Hunith walked into the kitchen and left them with an uncomfortable silence.

“I’ll help.” Merlin offered five seconds after he stood stupidly in the middle of the living room.

“Me too.” and so did Arthur.

Merlin pointed his finger at him and said, “No, you, stay here. You are a walking disaster in the kitchen. I remember you burned a glass of milk once. How did you manage that I bet even god himself doesn’t know.” 

Arthur made a face like a puppy that had been kicked at the side. Merlin was about to tell him this trick didn’t work on him anymore when his mom came back into the living room and was hit full-force by that look. She said,

“Actually, it would be nice to have another set of hands. I’m making roasted stuffed chicken and Parfait! You can teach him. It’ll be fun!”

“But, m-”

“It’ll be fun!” She said again, with a too wide smile and gritted teeth towards Merlin. 

Merlin groaned and pushed past Arthur into the kitchen.


	5. The one where Merlin starts to accept the headache as a part of his everyday life

Arthur held chicken bony thighs with his thumb and index finger while staring through a hole oddly. His face all scrunched up like he was calculating the rate of air flow through the thing. Merlin glanced at him then snorted and shook his head. With his hands rested on both side of a dark gray tray filled with chicken broth, he breathed out, “Pervert.” 

Arthur let go of the chicken so fast like he got electric shock. He raised his hands up, surrendered. “I’m just curious!” 

“Curious, hmm? Wanna know if it would fit…” A suggestive peek down at the center of his trouser was enough to made Arthur know what he was talking about.

Arthur covered his hands over it defensively. “No! Now who’s the pervert?”

Merlin chuckled and gently put the chicken on the tray. “Still the one who look.”

Hunith laughed, mostly to herself, from where she bent to preheat the oven for the chicken. 

“What do we do now?” Arthur’s voice made Merlin turned his head back.

He looked at Arthur then at the chicken, inhaled then said, “First, you stuff these butter under the skin.”

“Like this?” Arthur asked as he shoved all of them inside at once, the skin almost tear.

“Be gentle!” Merlin slapped Arthur’s hand and hissed. Arthur jerked back automatically and kept his hands near his chest while watching him rearranged the butter under the bulge skin evenly.

When he pulled his hand out, Arthur asked, “Then?”

“Then you put some rosemary, sage, and thyme on it.” Merlin replied, a finger point at each ingredient as he stated its name.

“Like this?”

“Yup.”

“Then we’ll add some oranges.”

“Oranges? That doesn’t seem to get along well.”

“But they did! The smell and flavor of it will seep into the chicken and made an amazing thing to your taste buds. Wonderful, isn’t it?”

“Like you two.” Hunith giggled. Her hands busied with graham crackers on the same counter on their left. 

“No, not like us. We are like- like-” Merlin scratched his head as it stop woking. He gave up three second later then blurted, “-like whatever that don’t get along!”

He heard Arthur snorted and his head whipped to him, eyes promising many bad things to come if he wouldn’t let his lame excuse go. Arthur made a surrender gesture again then nodded to the chicken.

“Then what?”

“Then tied it with twine, like this.”

Merlin tied it like he always does back when he was still with his mom. They made it so often that every process of making stuffed chicken became easy and normal. Arthur, on the other hand, had never done anything like this before, he didn’t even have and interest about cooking so when he saw Merlin made loops and strings all of the chicken limps together with one twine, he was in awed. Merlin end it with a knot across the middle of the breast and a proud smile. 

“Then we shove this delicious thing into the oven, wait, and we eat!”

Arthur cleared his throat. He shrugged and said, “Well, this is easier than I thought.”

A frown appeared on Merlin’s face. “Yes, of course because you just stood and watch.”

“I help putting those thyme on top.” Arthur mumbled, looking down on the messy counter, using his index to poke on the same spot again and again.

A hand came slap at his shoulder. His muscle jumped. It was Hunith. She was using her eyes to shame his reaction. When he shrugged, she slapped him again then said, “Don’t be mean, Merlin. He’d never done it before.”

“Yeah, don’t be mean, Merlin.” Arthur switched his spott so fast and now he was at the back of his mother, using her as a holy shield, sticking out his tongue like a child.

Merlin opened his mouth to say something, but his mother cut him with, “I still remember your first time, you remember that? When you slip on the butter you dropped and-”

Blood drained from his face so fast it felt numb, and Arthur must have seen it because his face suddenly turned annoyingly gleeful. “Yes, mom can we not-” Merlin said in a rush but nothing can stop her. 

She continued with, “-brought the whole tray down with you and-”

Merlin, without anything better to do, buried his face in his oily hands and pray for the kitchen floor to crack and swallowed him whole.

“-your head stuck in the chicken and your hair smell orange for three days?”

“Yes, mom, I remembered.” He replied softly and looked up from his hand. He shifted his gaze to Arthur. The grin on his face was even wider and If he had a tail it would wiggled like crazy by now.

“Good, now you see how hard the first time is. I’ll go picking some berries from the garden now. Be a good boy, will you?”

She didn’t actually wait for him to reply. She just walked out of the kitchen and left him with embarrassment and a person who was waiting to use it against him.

There was a pat his back then an explosive laughed near his ear that made him shrink.

“So, you have a history with a rear of a chicken, huh? Oh, That’s why you were so defensive about it, jealous? Don’t be, Merlin, chicken is not my type!”

Then another set of roaring laughter and that was it. Merlin started kicking, the first was aiming for Arthur’s backside but then when he started to run in circle around the counter the kick was just random and didn’t hit Arthur’s swift body at all. Arthur laughed throughout the chase and soon Merlin started to laugh with him too.

Then Arthur might think the chase was long enough, or he was almost out of breath, or Merlin almost got him too many times or whatever but instead of running away, he ran towards him and with two quick moves, he trapped Merlin by the wall of the kitchen with hands at both side of his head. 

They stared and stared and stared some more. There was no sound in the kitchen apart from their breathing that was showering each other, hot and wet and personal. For them, the earth seemed to stop spinning and time seemed to freeze. Arthur eyes looked deep into him. His blue orbs studied him then it stop. Then it looked like it was trying to tell him something. Something that important but he couldn't imagine, couldn’t dare to dream of, and couldn't believe. He couldn’t believe that, of all people around them, around Arthur, it would be him that Arthur choose to give this feeling to. Merlin heart beat loudly against his rib cage. 

But then, a sound of familiar footsteps woke him up. While Arthur was still stuck in his thought, Merlin lower himself and slipped out of the Arthur's human cage and walked back to the counter.

“Here you go, boys. Help me clean this up, I’ll go get the cup.” Hunith’s voice filled the kitchen and the world started to spin again. He smiled at her and took the berries from her.

Arthur followed him a moment later and together they rinsed the berries in silence.

The parfait was finished in no time at all. Arthur started a small food war with berries, and the tension between them was dissolved just like that. Around an hour and a half, while they were waiting for the chicken in the oven, they watched a lame movie together and it was so lame Hunith who didn’t complain much about others' flaws join in. They yelled at the television, they laughed far too loud, they smiled far too much, and they have a good time together. That evening, Merlin and Arthur left the house with a numb feeling on their cheeks, and that didn’t make the happiness they had any lesser.


	6. The one where Merlin decides to live happily ever after with the headache

A week after that was a horrid long week of endless exams. Merlin didn’t think about Arthur all day for the first time in that month. Arthur still made his heart skipped a beat once in a while, but he was too busy with the books to fight it over with him. Also, it did felt good, so he just let Arthur do it. 

When that week of madness end, Merlin found himself sitting on a half-circular couch with his friends in a pub not far away from their dorm.

“To the bloody exam that will bring doom to us all!” Leon announced, a glass of yellow liquid he held moved with his hand and it almost spilled out.

“To the bloody exam!” Everyone chanted, their glasses clicked, and then the alcohol in those glasses were drained down their throat. 

Merlin took a polite sip of his fancy blood color drink then put the glass down, smiling at everyone and hearing no one because the music that was pounding his chest mercilessly canceled out anyone’s voice who sat farther than a foot away from him. Watching people bottom up their drinks while dancing and grinding at each other at the center of the pub intoxicated him better than the drink in his hand. 

“Come on, you can do better than that.” Gwaine nudged him.

“No, you wouldn’t want to see me when I’m drunk, believe me.”  
He yelled necessarily loud into Gwaine’s pink ears.

A loud ‘Ha!’ that cut through the music made his head whipped to its direction. He was quick enough to see Elyan threw his glass on the ground. The fragile thing reached the floor faster than his eyes could see, one second it was in one piece in his hand, another there were hundreds of it on the floor. The alcohol it contained made it glitter in the red and blue light of the pub. Though, he found it pretty, it was not for a bartender not far away who had an ear of a fox.

“Sorry, that’s on me!” Arthur yelled to the bartender while gesturing weirdly with his hand. The bartender shook his head and didn't look any pleaser but didn’t order guards to throw them out, and that was good enough.

Gwaine pushed him by his shoulder with his fist. “See? Even Elyan didn’t care. Arthur will deal with our shit. Right, Arthur?”

“Yeah, come on, Merlin, don’t be a wimp.” Arthur nodded then took a gulped of his drink.

Merlin roamed his gaze to every corner of the place where his eyes could see. Almost everyone had more than one glass in front of them. Lancelot and Gwen were flirting at one dark corner where they had some privacy, but everyone could still see them. There were two untouched glasses in front of them. Too busy challenging each other on who could make the other’s cheeks blush brighter to drink the thing was his guess. He looked back at the glass he held and thought that at least if he did something ugly by the effect of the alcohol there was still someone who could drag him out of the place and threw him safely onto his bed. 

When his mind was clearer, a sudden urge to catch up with everyone around him who was about to finish their second glass flooded through his brain from nowhere. Merlin pressed the cold glass rim to his lips, then with a backwards tilt of his head, the liquid traveled into his mouth and burned its way down his throat.

“There you go, boy!”

“Yeah, go for it, Merl!”

“One more for him, please.”

Cheerful voices came from everywhere around him. Though, he could only recognize the last one was Arthur’s.

There were drinks after drinks and soon after that he forgot to count how many glass he had finished at some point. Maybe it was at the point when he laughed and laughed without any reason and Arthur, for some reason, laugh along with him, but he never knew. His and Arthur’s legs that brushed from the beginning started to make him felt tingle. First at his legs then higher up and deeper into more private part. If everyone wasn’t busing with trying to knock themselves unconscious by those colorful drinks, they wouldn’t have miss an unmistakable bulge in the middle of Merlin’s tight jeans.

He stood up without a warning, and Arthur tried to pull him back down. He held himself like stone, rid of that grip by a swung of his arm, then head to a quieter place where he could hear his thought and maybe willed the inconvenient thing in his pants down.

Merlin ended up in a restroom and he was lucky enough to have it all to himself. He paced in circle feverishly for a while then he thinking about locking the door and whether it was appropriate or not because what if someone really wanted to use it they would have to wait. 

Before he could decide, the door opened and the last person he wanted to see was behind it. 

Arthur frowned at him. He frowned back and stood still but when Arthur took a step closer to him, his frown untangled itself and his mouth yelled out in panic, “Don’t take another step near me!”

Arthur shut the door behind him but didn’t came nearer. Instead, he asked, “Why?”

Merlin tried really hard to focus on their conversation but his ridiculous brain wouldn’t stop flashing him pictures of Arthur without any cloth on and as time passed the picture started to overlap the reality and now naked Arthur with a concern frown wouldn’t stop looking at him. He squeezed his eyes and ruffled his hair, trying to bring back his long-lost sanity. The world turned normal for two seconds then it was back to the lustful surreal world again. Finally, he blurted out with one hand still tangled with his messed-up hair. 

“Oh, god, I told you don’t make me touch those devil drinks. Did you guys listen? Nooo. You just keep cheering me on. Drink up M. Bottom up! Go on, you can do it! Here, drink some more! Hey, give him another— I said don’t come near me!”

Arthur froze in the pose where one of his legs stretched out. “Then stop babbling nonsense and get to the point!”

He pointed at Arthur’s face, or at least he was aiming for it. It was him whom he was talking to anyway not a hand dryer on the wall. “—well, it’s your fault! All your fault! ‘Come, Merlin, it’ll be fun!’ and ‘Let yourself loose sometimes won’t hurt, idiot!’, oh and don’t forget—umph!” 

A soft warm hand denied him for talking any further and a cold ring against his lips woke every end of his nerves up. Arthur was close, too close. His normal scent combined with strong alcohol made his head dizzy. A pair of daring blue eyes and alluring lips less than a foot from him destroy his last self-control barrier and something wild inside of him was let loose. It took control of his body and signaled him to slam Arthur to the wall and snogging him senseless. 

He obeyed it.

It was an absurd thing to feel at that moment, but he still felt it anyway. It was fear. He feared Arthur might push him away, feared that it’ll be just a meaningless drunken kiss or a pity kiss but when Arthur’s tongue found his, all of the fear dissolved. 

“Told you. I bloody told you. You never listen. Look like this naughty boy wants some punishment...”

Arthur’s breathing caught when he took a bite on the soft skin of his neck then he asked with a hoarse sound. “Is this what alcohol made you become? A sex demon?”

Merlin laughed rumble low in his throat.

Arthur started again with, “Well…” then he was cut by a short kiss. “...we cannot...” another kiss. “...cannot do it…” and another. “...right here.”

Merlin’s body moved without him actually thinking about it. In a blink of an eye, he slammed Arthur into a stall next to them didn’t even bother to lock it before he launched at him again. 

Arthur pushed him roughly to the other side of the stall. Their lips did not part until Arthur did it with his hand yanking at Merlin’s hair. Then those lips devoured at the nape of his neck and he moan as an approval. His hair was let go but his shirt was pulled and then a button at the top was popped away and never be found again. One, then two, and then three sloppy kisses on his chest before Arthur travel lower and lower, lips pressing almost every inch he past and, though, through fabrics and all, Merlin could felt the warmness of them. Arthur stopped lowering himself when he was on his knees, face right at his waist level, his hands on another button on his jeans. For a moment, he was just pressing his hand there, frowning. 

“Arthur, you don’t have to-”

“Shut up, Merlin.” He snapped without looking up.

Merlin’s head banged the stall so hard he thought the only reason it didn’t fall was because the owner already knew there will be something like this happen so he built a ridiculously steady loo wall.

Ten minutes later, He dragged Arthur out by his collar and as they walk past their friends, a question was asked. He wasn’t sure what the actual words he said were but it was something about fuck him till dawn or something of that kind.

Lancelot asked the same question too, so he replied the same. Lancelot threw his head back and laugh and Gwen hit him on his shoulder while covering her mouth and blushed. 

Back at their room, he slammed Arthur to the wall as soon as the door was locked and Arthur did all the work with the thing that prevent their skin from full contact.

-================-

Merlin squinted his eyes. In the blur of the brightness, he saw something that glow near his eyes and something heavy was draping on his chest. When his eyes were fully adjusted to the light of a new day, the glowing thing turned to be golden hair of Arthur which was bouncing off sun rays that snuck in through slightly opened curtains and the heavy thing was his arm.

A sharp headache came with memories of embarrassing moment that happened on the previous night. Merlin hid his face in his hands then groaned . The person next to him shifted, chuckled and hugged him tighter. 

“I didn’t really say those words, did I?” Merlin said after a moment of silence.

“You did. No wonder why you’ve never drink in front of us.” The answer came with a kiss on his chin. “I think the exact sentence that you said was, ‘Look like this naughty boy-’”

“Stop! Ow...and did we really...have-”

“Sex? Yeah, felt real to me.” Arthur finished it before he could.

With a slight movement, Merlin buried his face in the curve of Arthur’s marks covered neck. “How many time?”

“I’ve lost count.” The words vibrated on the neck and to his lips that was pressing a kiss on it.

Merlin groaned and scooted back a little to see Arthur smug expression. “Really? I only remember the first.” He asked.

Arthur smile. A smile that narrowed his eyes and lit up his whole features. “Well, actually, that’s the only one. I’m just messing with you.” He chortled.

“Oi! not funny.” Merlin punched him at his chest once then twice then before the third, Arthur caught his wrists and locked it loosely. He didn’t struggle.

A little change of position and Arthur was above him. Hovering over while using his arms to support his weight. A nuzzle that made Merlin’s eyes rolled back into his skull was what follow.

In the midst of the perfume of lust, Merlin was suddenly hit by the reason why Arthur and him was closer lately. It wasn’t like they didn’t go almost everywhere together before this but they were more open to each other after the day Arthur announced he was going to win him. It felt fucking fantastic but it was just a game at the end. Arthur might still having fun with it and it was only matter of time that Arthur would get bored and dumped him and he was sure as hell he couldn’t bare that if he got deeper into this. 

His eyes felt sting and he push Arthur away with, “Off. Off!”

Arthur propped himself up again. “What’s wrong?” he asked and Merlin tried to slip away but Arthur pulled him back and pinned him on the bed. He tried again and Arthur started to yell, “Jesus! Stop that and talk to me. Talk to me, Merlin!”

“You win! Okay? Now, bugger off!”

“Win what?”

“The game! That our friends bet you could not get me. A month ago. In this room. Remember?”

“There is no game, Merlin!” Then he cursed something under his breath before he continued with, “stopped thinking about it for a month now, why are you so obsessed with it?”

Merlin went still. He thought then asked in confusion. “Wait...what? When?”

“I don’t know. Since the day you got me off, maybe?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, ‘Oh’ indeed.” Arthur sighed. He lower his head and rested it on him. “Look, I think that’s the day when I realized I why couldn’t be with anyone for six month. It’s because I wanted to be with you. Only you.”

His wrists were released so he reached on of his hand up and placed it on Arthur's cheek. Though his reply was, “Aw, you gonna make be puke. Really, Arthur, sweet talk doesn’t suit you.” A smile was back on his lips and it was even wider than before.

Arthur cupped his hand. “No, you just hate when someone throw affection towards you. You always think it is insincere aren’t you?”

“No.” Merlin said with his eyes gazing somewhere else. 

“Hey, Merlin. Merlin, look at me, idiot.”

Merlin snapped his eyes back furiously.

“There you go. And you said I was wrong.” Arthur let out a chuckle that made Merlin huff. 

“I like you, you insolence fool.”

Merlin colored up. He reached another hand up to cupped Arthur’s face when he said, “Guess I like you too, cabbagehead.”

Arthur grinned and Merlin laughed and they kissed again, with all their feelings pour out this time.

“What are we now?” Merlin whispered after the long kiss.

Arthur fell back on the bed then shrugged. 

“Gay?”

Merlin gave him a hit on his shoulder. “No, dollophead. I mean, are we friends? Friend with benefits? Couple?”

Arthur propped his head up by one of his arm, looked down to him, deep into his eyes. “How about boyfriend?”

Merlin looked away and a corner of his mouth twitched up. He shrugged.

Two fingers squeezed at both side of his nose. He squealed and laughed and pinched Arthur’s nose back and then their little fight begun. Laughter filled the room and love filled the air. 

There was a loud ‘Ow!’, then, ‘Oww, That’s hurt!’, and, ‘Can’t you be gentle for once in your life?’ slipped out through the crack of their door and it traveled into someone who had his ear on the door from the outside. 

Leon, the said man, startled back and muffled his laugh with his fist. Gwen, Lancelot, Elyan, and Gwaine looked at him expectedly.

“What did they say?”

“Dunno. Didn’t hear much but sound like another round to me.”

This time a loud ‘thud!’ could be heard without having to press their ears to the door.

“Well, that’s wild.” Gwaine commented.

They smiled knowingly at each other then tip-toeing away. Leaving the new couple to have their private time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all kudos and comments! <3


End file.
